Air distribution support surface products may be pads that may be placed on mattresses, chairs, or other support surfaces. Known air distribution support surfaces typically have small holes in an outer sheet that allow the passing of vapor, such as air, that is supplied by a pump to the air distribution support surface. Air distribution support surfaces may prevent and cure users prone to or suffering from decubitus ulcers, and also with respiratory complications by loosening fluids in the lungs, and attempt to remove moisture away from a user's skin to help prevent discomfort such as bed sores, pressure sores, ulcers or other problems. As such, they may help prevent skin macerations and high pressure points on a patient's or any end user's skin. Air distribution support surfaces are also known to include attachment structures (e.g., a zipper) to allow the air distribution support surface to be zipped to a mattress cover or other support surface. Mattresses may be solid foam mattresses, air cell based mattresses or any other suitable support surfaces.
Pressure inflatable support surfaces are also known to help in the prevention of skin breakdown and are sometimes referred to as “low air loss” systems which attempt to circulate a low amount of air beyond normal air convection to remove moist air vapor given off by a patient to keep the patient dry and promote healing. Such air distribution support surface products include, for example, a single chamber that is inflatable and have a top sheet with small holes or other vapor permeable features to allow air that is placed into the air distribution support surface to escape toward the patient's skin. A bottom sheet may be a quilted synthetic sheet covered on the inside with a type of urethane undercoat which may be vapor permeable to allow, for example, water vapor molecules to pass through but forms a waterproof barrier to prevent water from flowing through apertures in the top sheet from passing entirely through the air distribution support surface product. The sheets are sewn about a periphery to create a single low air loss chamber that allows air to pass up through the apertures in the top sheet while substantially preventing air flow through the bottom. However, when a patient lays on such a type of device, the weight of the patient can cause the top sheet to fully compress in parts under the patient to come in contact with the inner surface of the bottom layer preventing suitable air flow within the chamber. This can result in reduced air flow coming from the inflatable top sheet thereby reducing its impact and ability to assist in improving the user's condition.
In addition, such single chambered devices may also employ a simple inlet tube structure that may be, for example, only several inches long which enters through an opening into the chamber to allow the coupling of an air hose from a low air loss air supply. Such inlet tubes, however, are positioned at the end or foot of the inflatable sheet and may be inadvertently cut off by the weight of a patient's or by a user's foot when laying on top of the sheet. This construction may fail to adequately provide air throughout the inflatable sheet since it only provides a single air dispensing point within the single chambered low air loss inflatable sheet. Other disadvantages will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.
Known air distribution support surface products however, may not provide adequate therapeutic results since when a patient lays on top of the air distribution support surface product, the weight of the user can compress the air distribution support surface product to a point that may undesirably restrict air flow in the product reducing the impact of the air flow from the air distribution support surface product.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved air distribution support surface product and method that overcomes one or more of the above drawbacks.